Adding hope this Mandela Day

Date published: Posted on 18 July 2017

Adding hope this Mandela Day

A real passion for helping children shone through this Mandela Day at KFC as staff, NGO teams and other stakeholders turned out in force in support of Add Hope, KFC’s unique feeding initiative which uses customer donations and KFC contributions to feed over 120 000 children through 137 beneficiary organisations. KFC teams were active all over the country in volunteering and fundraising initiatives linked to Add Hope supported charities.

At the KFC head-office in Johannesburg, the focus was on “We CAN make a difference!” with a can collection drive that resulted in 670 boxes of nutritious food being packed for one of the 137 NGOs Add Hope supports - JAM. Over 700 cans collected during the week leading up to Mandela Day formed a mural of Nelson Mandela’s face, before being dismantled in a series of exciting team challenges and packed with other essential foods into boxes in a waiting JAM truck, ready to be delivered to those who need it most. The 12 participating teams each selected other Add Hope beneficiaries and the winning team received R10,000 for their selected Add Hope beneficiary, Mother of Peace.

JAM provides nutrient-rich meals through school feeding programmes are primarily focused on young children – enabling them to improve the wellbeing of each child, while promoting and enhancing school attendance and education. David Brown, CEO of JAM, said, “Our long term partnership with Add Hope has a tremendous impact on the work we do. When you think that one in five children in South Africa suffer from stunting and learning difficulties due to malnutrition, which translates to over 1.6 million children, there is a lot more work to be done to reach children in need. Every bit helps.”

“Mandela Day represents the ethos that everyone can make a difference and create a better world for all who live in it,” says Thabisa Mkhwanazi, KFC Public Affairs Director for Africa. “It is a day devoted to service, to improving the conditions in our own communities. This is truly relevant in South Africa where so many suffer in impoverished conditions. Children suffer the most, as malnutrition in their formative years means they miss the window of opportunity they have to reach their full development potential. Mandela Day reminds us that we can work together to break this cycle. Every time you Add Hope, you help us to help children learn, grow and thrive. Let’s make every day a Mandela Day!”

In a country where hunger and poor nutrition pose a major risk to the health, wellbeing and education of millions of children, initiatives like Add Hope, which combines donations from customers with KFC’s own corporate social responsibility contributions, continue to play a vital role. Over the past seven years, Add Hope has raised close to R400million. “As a brand, KFC is about delicious food, sharing, family and having fun. We are authentic and honest, and we care about community. Food security remains a major issue in communities throughout South Africa. We’re proud to be able to unite with our customers behind a very relevant cause, as we effectively use our iconic brand status to contribute to society and tackle the world’s number one health risk – hunger.”